Symmes Township Republican Zac Haines and Montgomery Democrat Cara Jacob are vying to represent Ohio Senate District 7 this November.
Term limits prevent current state senator Steve Wilson from running again, meaning it's an open seat.
Here's what to know about the race.
Where is Ohio Senate District 7?
The district includes Warren County and northern parts of Hamilton County. It has a 60% Republican lean and a population of about 366,000, according to analysis by Dave's Redistricting, which uses recent election results data to predict the partisan split of electoral districts.
Who is Zac Haines?
Haines is CEO of DPA Buying Group, a marketing agency in Blue Ash. He was nominated by President Trump to be a trustee for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation and is also a Miami University trustee.
Haines grew up in Naples, Florida but decided to stay in Southwest Ohio after graduating from Miami, according to previous Enquirer reporting.
“My goal is to make Ohio the best and most competitive state in the country,” Haines said in a campaign release.
Who is Cara Jacob?
Jacob has a bachelor's degree and a medical degree from Indiana University, according to her campaign website. She is a neurologist with the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
She said she was inspired to run for the seat due to "growing concern over the extreme legislation and corruption" coming from the Ohio Statehouse, she wrote on her website.
Jacob also said she will advocate for policies that will expand access to healthcare and strengthen public schools.
Jacob is married with two children.
How to vote
The election is Nov. 3. To check your voter registration and polling location visit voteohio.gov.
Regional politics reporter Erin Glynn can be reached at eglynn@enquirer.com, @ee_glynn on X and @eringlynn on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Meet the candidates running for Ohio Senate District 7
